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8 Mile -- There's a reason that Eminem is so popular on the hip-hop scene: He's good at what he does. And he's also quite good, it turns out, at acting, here playing a slightly less edgy version of himself in director Curtis Hanson's (L.A. Confidential) formulaic story of young men and women trying to their make dreams come true in ratty Detroit. (ES) Rated: R

About Schmidt -- Jack Nicholson delivers a different than usual tour-de-force in this seriocomic road movie about a just-retired and just-widowed fellow who tries to make his aloof daughter see that she's marrying the wrong guy -- and getting the wrong in-laws to boot. Nicholson underplays it while practically everyone around him goes the opposite route -- especially Kathy Bates, as the groom's mom, in a really raucous part. (ES) Rated: R

Adaptation -- The newest creation from director Spike Jonze and writer Charlie Kaufman isn't as surreal as their Being John Malkovich, but it's just as insane. "Based" on the book The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean, it's about her tribulations writing it, while at the same time it's about the book's subject, the loopy John Laroche, and about Kaufman himself, struggling to adapt a screenplay from the book. Wonderfully freaky turns from Nicolas Cage, Meryl Streep and Chris Cooper. (ES) Rated: R

Antwone Fisher -- Derek Luke plays the titular hero of this autobiographical film, based on the life of screenwriter and producer Antwone Fisher. Once a troubled sailor whose repeated fistfights land him in the office of Navy psychiatrist Denzel Washington, Fisher turns his life around by finding the family who abandoned him and landing a job as a security guard on the Sony Pictures lot. Rated: PG-13

Catch Me If You Can -- Spielberg lightens up considerably from recent films in this comedy (with a serious undertone about broken families) inspired by the real-life adventures of teenage con man extraordinaire Frank Abagnale (Leonardo DiCaprio). Chased for years by a no-nonsense FBI man (Tom Hanks), his life probably wasn't as carefree as the film presents it. But this is one good romp, with terrific support from Christopher Walken and Nathalie Baye as his parents. The opening credits are very cool. (ES) Rated PG-13

Chicago -- Everyone's calling it this year's Moulin Rouge, except instead of one femme fatale/dance hall girl, there are two. Catherine Zeta-Jones plays Velma Kelley, who gains instant notoreity (and jailtime) for shooting her philandering husband. Renee Zellweger is an up-and-coming starlet who, secretly hoping for similar fame, tries a similar tactic on her abusive boyfriend. Richard Gere is the celebrity-chasing lawyer who tries to represent them both. Rated: PG-13

Die Another Day -- The James Bond pictures always seem from another time. What's freshest about this installment is that Pierce Brosnan is given the chance to draw on the darker side of his personality, and the game voluptuousness of Halle Berry as his partner in smirk, Jinx. (RP) Rated: PG-13

Drumline -- A young hip-hop drummer from Harlem gets the chance to attend an Atlanta university on a marching band scholarship. He quickly becomes a star -- if you can indeed become a "star" in marching band -- but his success is marred by the jealousy of a senior who finds out he fudged his records and threatens to turn him in to the well-liked band director (Orlando Jones). Rated: PG-13

Frida -- For all director Julie Taymor's (Titus) visual splendor, the life story of painter Frida Kahlo still falls flat due to an overdone performance by Salma Hayek. Alfred Molina is splendid as her complex husband Diego Rivera. (Marty Demarest) Rated: R

Gangs of New York -- Martin Scorsese and innumerable conspirators have struggled for almost three decades to produce Gangs of New York, and yet it is a terrible movie. Leonardo DiCaprio is a puffy cipher as a young man with vengeance on his mind; Daniel Day-Lewis offers epic hamming as the villain. (RP) Rated: R

Harry Potter and The Chamber of Secrets -- Director Chris Columbus returns, and he has loosened up, keeping in more of the second book's dark edge. So amid the terrific visual effects and the story of Harry and pals searching out a possibly deadly secret at school, there's a solid sense of menace and some truly frightening stuff (though kids over 8 should be fine). A great comic performance from Kenneth Branagh helps out. (ES) Rated PG

The Hot Chick -- A popular-but-bitchy high school student wakes up one morning to discover that she's been turned into a 30-year-old man. Do we really need another Rob Schneider movie? Rated: PG-13

Just Married -- Even though there's no discernable chemistry between them (either as characters or actors), the rich cute girl (Brittany Murphy) and the working class cute guy (Ashton Kutcher) decide to get hitched practically upon meeting one another. But there's not much fun to be had in watching this. Kutcher yells too much and is kind of a jerk, and Murphy giggles too much and is too sweet. The spats tend to get nasty, the slapstick is overdone, the ending is predictably sentimental. (ES) Rated: PG-13

The Lion King -- The ultra smash Disney hit from 1994 now gets the IMAX treatment, making it bigger, but not necessarily better. The story, typical of Disney, runs from happy to terribly sad to happy again. The lion cub Simba witnesses the terrifying death of his father, then is convinced by an evil uncle to run away from home without taking the throne that's rightfully his. (ES) Rated G

Maid in Manhattan -- Lopez is a chambermaid at a ritzy New York hotel, and a series of contrivances lead her into romance with dryly patrician politician Ralph Fiennes. Lopez is charming; Fiennes is surprisingly at ease on romantic comedy turf, and the entire film twinkles. (RP) Rated: PG-13

My Big Fat Greek Wedding -- This is the slobbo American version of Four Weddings and a Funeral, getting no marks for subtlety but laughs from those of us who can laugh at the idea of an obnoxious ethnic family getting into the marital spirit. (RP) RATED: PG

Narc -- Ray Liotta and Jason Patric are cops partnered up against their wills to find the man who murdered Liotta's former narcotics officer partner. Taking it to the dismal streets of Detroit, the film explores the case, but also looks quite deeply into the makeup of each of these men. Both are smart and passionate about their work, but Patric's Nick is level-headed compared to the walking time bomb that's Liotta's Henry. Both give terrific performances, with Liotta showing remarkable range between his peaceful and violent scenes. (ES) Rated: R

Star Trek: Nemesis -- Yet another reason to long for the good old days of Kirk, Spock and Bones, as well as the early days of the Next Generation. This film just never takes off, with a muddled story about Captain Picard having been cloned and his younger clone coming to get him and his ship and Earth. There are some good action sequences, but with the exception of always-dependable Patrick Stewart, the cast seems uninspired. This one goes where it's gone before. (ES) Rated PG-13

Treasure Planet -- The team that brought you The Little Mermaid, Aladdin and Hercules now animates the buried-treasure-hunt classic by Robert Louis Stevenson, fusing the worlds of spacers and swashbucklers. Rated: PG (Michael Bowen)

The Two Towers -- This magnificent sequel to last year's magnificent original welcomes back most of the same characters (including a new, improved version of Gandalf), and features many new ones, with the CGI creation of the hideous, piteous and chilling Gollum standing out. This one is darker and more violent than the first, with a more intense and epic approach to the battle scenes. As Frodo and his pals continue on their mission, the perils multiply and the characters get more complicated. (ES) Rated PG-13

Two Weeks Notice -- Hugh Grant plays the sort of charming, shallow cad he's become so adept at, this time as a billionaire who happily lets his lawyer (Sandra Bullock) handle all the troublesome little details, legal or otherwise. Tired of picking his suits up from the cleaner and tripping over his toys, she gives him two weeks notice and waits for the little light bulb of true love to pop up over his head. Rated: PG-13

The Wild Thornberrys Movie -- The animated Nickelodeon TV hit makes a good, if not great, transition to the big screen with a tale of young Eliza (magically able to converse with animals) having a ball with her adventuresome parents in Africa. Strong environmentalist message. (ES) Rated PG

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The new one is smart and funny and action-packed, and it’s bigger and better and sleeker. And Downey does it again, this time ramping up Stark’s arrogant wisecracking, telling anyone who’ll listen (mostly women) that, via the creation of his powerful Iron Man suit, he’s brought years of uninterrupted peace to the world.